Overview

• New trade minister Peter Kyle is in Beijing to relaunch the UK–China Joint Economic and Trade Commission talks for the first time since 2018.
• Kyle called China "unignorable" and argued for engagement over avoidance in pursuing commercial gains.
• A UK housing department ruling due next month on China’s proposed London embassy could jeopardise trade aims, with lawmakers and allies warning of surveillance risks at the site.
• Beijing’s London embassy plan has been stalled for three years and was delayed again in August over blacked‑out drawings, while China has also been holding up Britain’s embassy upgrade in Beijing according to diplomatic sources.
• China is the UK’s third‑largest trading partner and fifth‑largest export market, and sources say Prime Minister Keir Starmer is likely to visit China in early 2026.